British Airways says its frequent flier accounts have been hacked
Another big name brand has been targeted by cyber criminals. British Airways announced over the weekend that its frequent flier accounts had been hacked which could have led to tens of thousands of customers’ data being revealed. At this stage the airline is “not aware” that personal information was viewed or stolen but it has frozen the accounts in the short-term while it sorts out the issues. Although it is not yet clear who may have been behind the attack a spokesman for the company said it appears that an automated computer program had sought and found a weakness in the system.
Californian drought needs a global solution
The drought in California, now in its fourth year and being called the worst in a millennium, needs to be tackled as part of a global effort to mitigate the effects of climate change. The state relies on winter snowfall on the mountains but warmer global temperatures has meant rain rather than snow, providing far less water; snowfall was just 12 per cent this winter, down from 28 per cent last year. The latest forecasts are for the situation to continue with higher temperatures and lower rainfall becoming the normal climate for California. A study by Stanford University published this month shows that the dry and warm conditions that lead to California’s severe droughts have occurred more frequently in the past twenty years than in the last century. While the state implements plans to cope with the drought amid concern that there is only a year’s water supply left, Amir AghaKouchak of the University of California says that this is not a situation that can be solved locally. He told The Guardian: “This is a global issue. A single policymaker or even all policymakers in California alone cannot really do much about global temperature. This requires unprecedented international efforts and a truly global will to address these issues.”
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Silicon Valley gender bias case raises risk awareness for all businesses
The gender-bias case brought against a venture capital firm in the Silicon Valley, and others against Facebook and Twitter, heighten awareness of the issue for all businesses. Ellen Pao was unsuccessful in her lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers but it has certainly highlighted the issues. Nicole Sanchez, founder of Vaya Consulting, which tries to help Silicon Valley companies increase diversity told wral.com: "I do see a trend now in the name of Ellen Pao.Women in technology are telling their stories."
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